The Unfortunate, Miserable, No Good life of Regulus Black
by setmeonfireplease
Summary: He is the youngest and favorite child of the Black family. He has power and wealth. He has his parents and friends very conditional love. He has a forbidden lover and an arranged marriage. He has a house elf for a best friend and brother who hates him. He has a life that isn't his and an unwanted duty to fulfill. This is the unfortunate, miserable, no good life of Regulus Black.


Sirius was his protector.

Sirius protected him from the mean muggle kids who lived across the street.

Sirius protected him from the monsters underneath his bed, and the mean ghost in the attic.

Sirius protected him from bad dreams and the dark.

Sirius protected him from Mummy and Daddy.

That was the way it had always been. Sirius protected him. But now, Sirius was leaving him.

"I don't want you to go." Regulus whispered into the dark room the belonged to his older brother. Sirius had finally reached age eleven, and was leaving for Hogwarts. Regulus wanted to go with him, but he was only nine. It was late at night, nearly four in the morning. Regulus had crawled into his bed an hour ago, whimpering and tearing up from a nightmare. He was clutching his teddy bear – the one Sirius gave him as a present one Christmas, years ago – tightly within his hand, rubbing viciously at his eyes, trying to stop the tears from coming out. Daddy didn't like it when he cried.

It made him look weak, Daddy always said.

Blacks aren't weak, Daddy always said.

Sirius woke up nearly immediately. His younger brother's whimpers were like a siren to him, a red alarm going off in his head. He pulled the younger, smaller boy into bed and clutched him nearly as tightly as Regulus clutched his teddy, and began to comfort him. It was routine for them. Nightmares were unfortunately, a common occurrence for Regulus. An hour later, Sirius had managed to calm Regulus down, and believed him to be falling asleep, until his younger brother said those dreaded words. _"I don't want you to go."_. If anything could make Sirius not want to go to Hogwarts, it was his brother saying that.

"I know you don't." Sirius muttered somewhat tiredly, clutching Regulus a bit tighter, a bit more protectively. "I'll miss you." Regulus said. "I'll miss you too." Sirius responded in a yawn. It was quiet for a moment, and Sirius thought that Regulus was finally falling asleep. He was wrong.

"You'll forget about me." Regulus said suddenly, quietly, nearly inaudibly. This startled Sirius awake. "_Excuse me_?" Sirius gasped in an outraged, melodramatic voice. "You'll forget about me like mummy and daddy did on the first day of charms school." Regulus said, his voice nearly a whine, but not quite one yet. He wasn't allowed to whine. Mummy wouldn't let him. Sirius cringed at the memory of when his parents forgot to pick Regulus – whom was six at the time – up from charms school. The teachers had found him the next day asleep on the front steps, his small form curled up in an attempt to keep warm. Sirius had been sleeping over at a 'friends' house – Sirius didn't particularly like this boy, but his parents did, and that was all that mattered – and came back to find a shivering and blue lipped brother. That was the first time Sirius fought with his parents. That was also the first time his father had ever broken his arm. Nevertheless, Sirius was absolutely outraged that his younger brother could ever, _would ever_, accuse him of such a thing.

"I would never . . . how could you even . . . Reggie you're my brother! I could never forget you!" Sirius spluttered, a frown on his face as he stared in the direction of his younger sibling. And all though he couldn't see it, Regulus could feel the frown that was being thrown in his direction. "I'm sorry." He muttered while looking away, slightly ashamed. It had been silly of him to accuse Sirius of forgetting about him. Sirius, who was a bit too overprotective of him in order to make up for the lack of protection their parents offered – both boys were too young to be aware of just how overprotective Sirius was of Regulus, all though the rest of their family did find it odd. Sirius, who all though enjoyed playing the occasional prank on him, enjoyed teasing him, often doted on Regulus. Sirius wouldn't forget about him. Sirius would always be there for him, just like Regulus was always there for him when Daddy and Mummy went too far. "It's fine." Sirius said kindly, settling back down.

The two young boys were silent again, their minds reeling about what would happen when Sirius left in the morning. For Sirius, his thoughts were fantastical, filled with brightness and happiness and magic. For Regulus, it was filled with darkness and pain and misery.

"I'm scared Sirius." Regulus muttered, even quieter than before. It was a completely different tone than before. It wasn't whiny. It was fearful. Regulus was truly frightened by the events that would occur once Sirius left. Once he was alone.

Sirius immediately knew what Regulus was talking about. He didn't need to elaborate. It was what would happen to Regulus once he was gone that made him hesitant to leave. "Who will protect me from the mean boys across the street? From my nightmares? From Mummy and Daddy?" Regulus wondered aloud. The answer was no one. And they both knew it. The last time Regulus had tried to find comfort in his parents after a nightmare, he ended up with a black eye. Sirius sighed.

"I won't be gone forever Reg. I'll be back during Christmas. And then we can hang out and I'll tell you all about Hogwarts and we can play aurors and robbers and wizard chess and it'll be just like old times. I promise." Sirius whispered softly, and Regulus grinned at the prospect of that. "Promise?" He asked, sticking out his pinkie. Sirius nodded and wrapped his pinkie around Regulus'. "Promise."

The next morning, Sirius left for Hogwarts, after giving both his parents a stiff goodbye, Kreacher a harsh glare, and Regulus and tight and protective hug.

That night, Regulus had a nightmare. No one protected him from it.

The next day, the mean boys across the street broke his nose. No one protected him from them.

A week later, the letter came stating that Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor. Mummy and Daddy lost their temper and took it out on Regulus, who ended up with three broken ribs and a lowered self esteem. No one protected him from them.

And that Christmas, Sirius did not come home.


End file.
